


Ruby Light

by MilayaMilenZeal



Series: Long Live the Queen [19]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Dreams, Gen, M/M, Moogle Chocobo Carnival, Post-Game, Reference to past Promptis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-14 03:09:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10527594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MilayaMilenZeal/pseuds/MilayaMilenZeal
Summary: M.E. 772 - M.E. 773Ever since finding that little statue, Regina’s finally been able to sleep properly at night… and then she meets the most adorable little creature she’s ever seen in her short life.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place after "Dreams" and "Papa", and it heavily references both, so you've been warned.

Little Regina’s afraid to go to sleep for a while now. Even when her Daddy’s near her, the little 5-year-old continues to have bad dreams, and it makes her terrified more and more of the night whenever it comes in. Her Daddy’s now always by her side until she’s fast asleep, but even then he has to come running when she screams in fright, or she’s running to his room and climbing in his bed so she won’t be alone. She doesn’t want to sleep anymore, but her Daddy convinces her every time that she needs to sleep.

They’re at Galdin Quay now, because Iggy said that, maybe, the change in environment may help in getting her to go to sleep a little easier, without bad dreams, but little Regina certainly isn’t so sure. But instead of saying anything, she just tries to focus on running around, having gone out to the beach with her Daddy to play in the water as it splashes at her feet.

Iggy’s there, too, but he doesn’t really go into the water, but it’s okay. She’s just happy he’s there.

As she’s running around and kicking at the waves, though, she suddenly spies something curious hidden in the sand and she cocks her head and toddles over. When she picks it up, washing it off in the water because it’s covered in sand, she looks at the little statue and she smiles because it’s just so pretty. It’s some sort of small creature with these really big ears colored in light green and there’s a small red dot on its forehead above those large black eyes that are just so cute and she almost wishes she could have a plushy of that to cuddle with, because she’s almost sure it would be able to ward of her bad dreams.

She decides to keep the little statue, but she keeps it as a secret from her Daddy, because she knows he’d say she’d have to give it to him so they could look for its owner, and for once she wants to keep something she’s found, even if she knows she shouldn’t.

They spend the night at Galdin Quay, because they’ve been playing for much too long and Regina isn’t sure how she feels about that, because she doesn’t actually want to be in a place she doesn’t know, especially to sleep, but Iggy tells her to try and that this may help with her bad dreams. She’s not so sure, but she supposes there’s no real harm in trying.

She’s staying in the room with her Daddy, anyway, so she can just clamber into his bed if she’s having bad dreams again.

Her Daddy reads her a story from the book he’s brought for her, and she’s grateful as she cuddles under her blankets. She’s had the little statue tucked under her pillow, away from prying eyes, and she barely feels it with her head, but she keeps her hand under the pillow to touch it lightly with the tip of her finger.

 

She’s prepared for the darkness, prepared herself for the endless red, and even if she knows it’s just a dream, that’s never helped her before and she’s trying so hard to tell herself, preparing herself by saying it’s a dream, it’s just a dream, it’s just a dream…

Regina wants to stay right there, breathing as she holds her head, trying to not open her eyes so she doesn’t have to see it…

_Pireh~_

The sound is sudden and unfamiliar, and despite her best intentions she does end up blinking her eyes open…

And she stares in surprise.

There’s no darkness, no red, no cold, no… _bad_ things…

She’s… in a field…?

She doesn’t recognize the field, but it’s so pretty, and there’s so many different flowers and the sun is shining and up ahead, she can see her Daddy, and Iggy, and Gladdy, and even Iris is there. She’s not sure what’s going on, but she gets up and hurries over, somewhat afraid that she may not get there, because it’s a dream, and she knows how her dreams work. But she does make it and her Daddy smiles at her as he lifts her up in his arm when she approaches, and he’s asking her where she was and saying that she was missing all the fun.

Iris comes over then and she puts a flower crown on little Regina’s head with a giggle and Regina’s so confused, but she’s also happy because if this is a dream, she’s okay with that.

The dream never deviates from the path it’s on, and when her Daddy wakes her, she’s surprised to know she’s slept the whole night without making so much as a peep. She’s not about to tell her Daddy about her statuette, but she makes sure to keep it close and when she comes home, it goes under her pillow, and she hopes that she’s right.

And the next night, she has more pleasant dreams and there’s not a trace of her earlier bad dreams in sight, and for the first time in a long time, when she goes to bed, she breathes easily, knowing that everything will be fine.

 

The first time she spots something out of place is about a month after finding the statuette. It’s her Daddy’s birthday in the dream, which it was a few days ago, actually, so she knows already that it’s a dream and a memory at the same time. This time, however, when she looks up from her drink, there’s a little creature sitting on the table in front of her, and she and it stare at each other curiously.

It’s _the_ most adorable creature she’s ever seen; light greenish-white with large black eyes, and even bigger ears and a little red glowing stone coming from its forehead. She smiles at it, curiously, and it gives her a small chirp like ‘ _Pireh~_ ’ (without opening its mouth, oddly enough) as a cheering Chocobo emoji appears above its head.

“Hi there,” she says merrily as she reaches out and lightly scratches it behind its ears. It chirps again, and then hops over into her lap and she giggles as she pets it softly, watching as it cuddles into her chest and then curls up. And no one’s even looking at her oddly for petting a creature that she’s almost sure doesn’t exist in real life, only further confirming that she’s dreaming.

And she’s fine with that.

 

It’s been a long day, and Regina’s tired… not just physically, but mentally, too, because of Iris’ revelation that there’d been this plan to get her a _mother_ when she’s never asked for it, and then also the knowledge that her Papa – or the person she calls ‘Papa’, really – is never coming home. There’s just such a mess in her head, and she’s hoping for good dreams when she lays her head down on her pillow.

And when she opens her eyes, she’s in a forest area and she blinks and props herself up, looking around. She doesn’t recognize the place, so she can only assume she’s dreaming again. She’s well aware this is a dream, because she’s not sure if such a beautiful place exists in the real world, but she would like to go there once.

_Pireh~_

She blinks and she looks over to the sound, and she spots a familiar creature trotting up to her. And in its mouth is her phone and she cocks her head curiously as she sits up on her knees. As it comes over to her, it sets her phone on the ground in front of her. She looks at it curiously, before she picks up her phone.

The little creature turns and starts to walk off, then, and Regina is confused. She stands up and looks around, for a moment longer, wondering where exactly she is.

_Pireh~_

Her phone buzzes with the chirp and it vibrates in her hand and she cries out as she looks down at the screen.

“ _Hi hi Regina~_ ”

She isn’t sure who’s texting her; she can’t see the sender, and it doesn’t sound like anyone else she knows. Her Daddy wouldn’t text like that, but maybe Iris…? No, not really, actually…

“ _Up here! In front of you~_ ”

Startled, she looks up, but all that she sees is the little creature, sitting in the path ahead of her. She looks to her phone, and then to the creature. “…you’re…?”

“ _Yep-yep~_ ”

It isn’t until then that the sudden connection hits her with this creature and the small statuette that she continuously keeps under her pillow now, and when she goes out, it’s on her person, in a small satchel she carries with her at all times. She wonders how long this has been going on and how stupid she’s been, but it doesn’t matter.

“ _C’mon! Let’s go!_ ” comes another text with a happy chirp, followed by several confetti emoji’s, as the creatures starts hurrying along.

And Regina’s quick to hurry along. And as she goes, she spots these beautiful glowing crystals that are hovering in midair and she laughs as she pokes at them and they disperse into a sea of golden sparkles and she smiles as it feels warm and sends a feeling of peace and calm through her.

They reach a small hill, with what almost like a water slide, and the little creature hops in without a second thought. She jumps after and she laughs as the hill _does_ turn into a slide, until she plops down easily in a crouch at the end. She’s hurrying after the creature as it runs, and they move through this little cave and she smiles. It’s not scary, because the crystals there are lighting up the area and even when she taps them as she runs, the sparks light it up and allow her to see as she toddles after.

It’s a weird dream, but it’s not bad; she’s having fun and the little creature is making this happy chirping sound, so she’s happy.

They suddenly come to a lake and she’s curious; where are they going now? There’s really nowhere to go.

Then her phone goes off.

“ _Hey Regina~ You wanna be big like your Daddy?_ ”

She blinks and looks to the creature. Big like her Daddy? How does that work?

“ _Follow me! Let’s go have some fun~_ ”

And then the little guy runs toward the lake and it jumps.

“H-hey wait!!” she calls and she doesn’t hesitate and she jumps after, taking a breath and shutting her eyes as she drops down for the water.

 

She’s sure she’s heard the water rippling, but she doesn’t feel it, and when her feet touch the ground again so shortly after jumping, she blinks and looks around… and her mouth opens as she steps forward, out into the light.

She has _no idea_ where she is, but it’s amazing and she’s _never_ seen this place before. It’s all white and light orange-brown and there’s water _everywhere_ and there’s balloons and confetti and decorations and she sees pictures of Moogles and Chocobos everywhere and it’s so beautiful and there’s people everywhere and they’re all laughing and—

…and they’re all her size.

She stares for a moment more and then looks down and around and she realizes that she’s taller, her arms and legs are slightly thicker, but it doesn’t look bad, her chest is sticking out just like that of Iris and Cindy and Aranea and when she puts her hands on her hips she realizes their shape feels all wrong because it’s thinner by her tummy than it is at her hips. How…?

_Pireh~_

Regina blinks and looks over to the creature, which is sitting on a nearby table and it looks like it’s smiling a bit, though it’s a bit hard to tell.

“ _You like?_ ” comes on her phone (which suddenly seems much smaller in her hand, even though her fingers seem much thinner). “ _This is you when you’re older~_ ”

“How did you do this?” she asks, and she almost covers her mouth because _is that HER voice!?_

Her phone chirps and there’s a smiley Chocobo emoji. Then there’s a text that says: “ _You’re dreaming~ Everything’s possible here!_ ”

She supposes that’s true… but she’s never even attempted to imagine herself all grown up and it’s a little weird, but certainly not unwanted. It’s suddenly like she’s seeing the world through an entirely different lens and things seem so different from what she’s used to.

“ _Well? Let’s go have fun~_ ”

This is followed by rainbows and confetti and smiling Chocobos and Regina cracks and breaks and she’s smiling as she hurried after with a half spring in her step.

She doesn’t even know what this party or carnival or whatever it is represents, why everyone is so excited or even where she is, but she doesn’t care. She’s just running around and having the time of her life. She’s now big enough to ride Chocobos, and she joins a race, even though she has no idea how to ride, because it’s a dream and she can do anything, right? She doesn’t win, but that’s okay; she’ll just try again later.

In order to get around they have to use these small boats – gondolas, the creature tells her – and it’s nice and relaxing and she breathes happily as she leans into the plush chair with the little creature in her lap.

She loses all sense of time as she plays games and laughs and runs around, until ‘night’ falls and they move to this large hotel and she’s in awe at the beautiful interior with its deep red and the fountains in the middle of the lobby and when she goes to the counter, the man there says that her ride’s waiting for her at the back of the hotel. She’s not sure what he means, but she doesn’t question it as the creature hurries on ahead.

When she’s there, the creature is sitting in a gondola on this large lake outside of the hotel, and she assumes that’s her ‘ride’. She gets on the chair, and then they’re off and she’s unsure where they’re going, because the lake is enclosed, so where are they going?

“ _Look up, Regina~_ ”

She doesn’t question it, even though she probably should, and when she looks up, she gasps in awe as her eyes go wide as the sky lights up with bursts of color and shapes that reflect off her eyes and despite the loud noises, she keeps her gaze up on the sky. There’s so many different colors, and it’s so _pretty_.

“ _Like it?_ ”

Regina blinks and then she smiles and looks at the little creature. “Yeah,” she admits. “I do… I wish I could stay here forever… is that silly?”

“ _Of course not._ ” The words are reassuring and they make her relax a little more. “ _And we can always come back tomorrow night~_ ”

She laughs softly. “Yeah, you’re right. Will you be here tomorrow?”

“ _Of course!_ ”

The chipper quip is followed by party poppers and confetti and even more cheering Chocobos, and Regina giggles and then squeals in laughter when the creature suddenly runs up her arm and then around her neck and she’s never felt happier.

Was it really any wonder then, when she had such a nice dream, that she was not happy when she had to wake up again?


End file.
